RPT.L Share News (RPT)

(Sharecast News) - Oil and gas exploration and production company Regal Petroleum has agreed an amendment to the terms upon which it sells its gas production to LLC Smart Energy, it announced on Tuesday.
The AIM-traded firm had entered an agreement to sell all of its gas production from its Mekhediviska-Golotvshinska (MEX-GOL), Svyrydivske (SV) and Vasyschevskoye (VAS) fields in Ukraine to Smart Energy in 2017.

It explained that Smart Energy has oil and gas operations in Ukraine, and is part of the PJSC Smart-Holding Group, which is ultimately controlled by Vadym Novynskyi, who also controls an indirect 82.65% majority shareholding in Regal.

As such, Smart Energy is considered to be a related party of Regal under the AIM rules.

The arrangement came about following the introduction of a number of new provisions into the Ukrainian Tax Code by the Ukrainian Government, including transfer pricing regulations for companies operating in Ukraine.

Rega said the introduction of those new regulations meant that there was, and continues to be, an increased regulatory burden on affected companies in Ukraine which had to prepare and submit reporting information to the Ukrainian Tax Authorities.

"Due to the corporate structure of the Regal Group, a substantial proportion of Regal's gas production is produced by a non-Ukrainian subsidiary of the company, which under the revised tax regulations, placed additional reporting burdens on each of Regal's potential customers who may have been less inclined to purchase Regal's gas or may seek discounts on sales prices," the board explained.

"As a result, an agreement was reached in June 2017 between Regal and Smart Energy for Smart Energy to purchase all of Regal's gas production and assume responsibility for the regulatory obligations under the Ukrainian tax regulations.

"Smart Energy also agreed to combine Regal's gas production with its own gas production, and to sell such gas as combined volumes, which has resulted in higher sales prices due to the larger sales volumes."

The terms of sale for Regal's gas to Smart Energy were payment for one third of gas delivered by the 20th day of the month of delivery, and payment of the remaining balance by the 10th day of the month following the month of delivery.

Under the agreement, in order to cover Smart Energy's sales, administration and regulatory compliance costs, Regal had agreed to sell its gas to Smart Energy at a discount of 0.5% to the gas sales prices achieved by Smart Energy.

However, due to changes in the regulatory regime in Ukraine which increased the burden of administration and regulatory compliance obligations involved in the sale of gas, and in order to ensure that Regal was compliant with current transfer pricing regulations in Ukraine, Regal and Smart Energy had agreed to increase the discount on the price at which Regal sells its gas to Smart Energy to 2%.

"Notwithstanding the increase in the discount under the revised arrangement, as a result of the company's gas being sold as a combined volume with Smart Energy's gas, the company has achieved and believes will continue to achieve, on average, a materially higher net price for its gas than could otherwise be achieved through the direct sale of the company's gas or by selling via an alternative gas trader," the board claimed.